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Continued from page 2

As he wrote in "Running on Empty," his 2004 book:

"Both political parties are increasingly incorrigible. They are not facing our problems, they are running from them. They are locked into a politics of denial, distraction, and self-indulgence that can only be overcome if readers like you take back this country from the ideologues and spin doctors of both the left and the right."

Americans Elect press secretary Ileana Wachtel said Monday that Peterson has no involvement in the organization.

"No one at AE can dispute that Mr. Peterson's message is the right one," Wachtel said in an email. "America needs to get its fiscal house in order. That said, Mr. Peterson is in no way, officially or unofficially involved with Americans Elect. "

Update: A spokesman for Peterson got back to us on Tuesday with the following statement: "The principal focus of Pete and his Foundation, which is non-partisan, is to increase awareness and accelerate action on America's long term fiscal challenges. These efforts are informational, educational and philanthropic in nature. Pete believes that Dave has made a significant contribution to the national discourse on debt and deficit issues, but he has no involvement in Americans Elect, or the effort to nominate Dave."